Undertaker&#39;s headrest



1,515,886 J. c. RUMSEY UNDERTAKER S HEADREST Filad Aug. 27, 1923 Patented Nov. 13, 1924.

JOHN C. RUMSEY, OF LAWRENCE, KANSAS.

UNDERTAKER S HEADREST.

Application filed August 27, 1923.

I! 0 all 10h 0m izfmag concern:

Be it known that I, JOHN C. RUMsnY, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of Lawrence, county of Douglas, State of Kansas, have invented a certain new and useful Improvement in Undertaker-s Headrests, of which the following is a complete specification.

The present invention relates to devices used in undertaking operations, and has particular reference to the supporting means used, for maintaining the head of a corpse at the proper elevated position above the surface of the cooling board or morgue table on which the body is placed while be ing prepared for burial.

For this purpose, I have devised an improved head rest device of a light, portable construction adapted to be conveniently shifted over the surface of the table or board to any desired position, and having a head rest element so mounted as to be tilted to any desired angular position for properly engaging and supporting the head of the corpse.

A further object of the invention is to provide a head rest device of this character in which suitable adjusting means is included for adjusting the head rest element and maintaining the same at various different elevations above the surface of the cooling board or table.

It is also sought to provide an improved the ends of a pair of brace arms 19, the opconstruction of a light and durable character, adapted to be folded into convenient compact form when thedevice is not in actual use.

With the foregoing general objects in view, the invention will now be described by reference to the accompanying drawing illustrating one form of construction which I have devised for embodying the improved article, after which those features deemed to be novel will be particularly set forth in claims.

Tn the drawing Figure 1 is a perspective view illustrating a portion of the cooling board on the top surface of which is drawn a head rest device embodying the present features of improvement a Figure 2 is a plan view of the head rest member, on an enlarged scale;

Figure 3 is a section taken on the line Ill-1H of Figure 2;

Serial No. 659,557.

Figure 4c is an enlarged detailed section takenon the line IVIV of Figure 2;

Figure 5 is a similar detailed section taken on the line VV of Figure 2; and

Figure 6 is a plan view of a cushion member adapted to be applied in detachable relation to the head-engaging portion of the head rest member.

Referring now to the drawing in detail, this illustrates the improved construction as embodied in a'device comprising a base frame 10 adaptedto be freely shifted to any position upon the top surface of a table 12, which may be a morgue table or a cooling board such as commonly used by undertakers. The frame 10 may be of rectangular form as shown, or any other preferred shape, and to the corners at one end of the frame are pivoted, as indicated at 14:, the ends of a pair of supporting arms 15. At the other ends of these arms 15 is pivoted a suitable head rest element 16, having depending ears or lugs 17 for making pivotal connection, by means of bolts 18 or the like, with the arms 15 about an axis which may be substantially parallel with the axis of the pivots 14. The head rest element 16 is preferably U-shaped and of such curved contour as'to best accommodate the back of the head and prevent its slipping in either lateral direction.

At intermediate points on the arms 15 are pivotally connected (as indicated at 11) posite ends of which are joined by a cross member 20 provided with knobs 21 at the outside of the frame 10 for convenient manual engagement. The ends of the cross member 20 project through slots 22 in the sides of the frame 10, the lower margins of which slots 22 are formed with a series of rack teeth 23 adapted for engagement with the end portions of the cross member 20. With this arrangement, the arms 15 and 19 may be folded within the base frame 10 when not in use, as represented by the dotted lines in Figure 3, or the cross member 20 may be shifted along the rack teeth 23 for bracing the arms 15 at various different angles with relation to the frame 10, and thereby supporting the head rest element 16 at different elevations above the table. In some cases I may provide a cushion or liner trip for the head rest element 16, in the form of a hollow U-shaped member 25 of any suitable, soft, flexible material, such as leather, shown in Figure 6. The ends of this cushion member 25 are adapted to fit over the ends of theelement 16, and between the ends the member 25 is provided with an opening 26 to permit it to be fitted over the intermediate portion of the head rest 16, after which the cushion member is secured in place by any suitable fastening means such as the buttoning flaps 27, 'orthe like.

The function of the improved device will beapparent to those skilled in the art to Which it appertains', the device being useful in all the usual post mortem operations in which a supporting member is necessary to "properlysupport the head of the body at a greater or less elevation above the table or cooling board. For example, in preparing the body for burial, as in the embalming operation, the head must be supported at such aheight as willfacilitate the drainage of the blood vessels, and also render more convenient the massaging manipulation of the face and neck, as carried out in the embalnr ing ope-ra'tion. Thesame is true of other operations preliminary to burial, such as shaving or the like, the proper performance of which is of course greatly facilitated by the raised position of the head, and this a vantage is moreover very materially increased by the provision made for convenlently admstmg the head rest so as to not only carry the head at the proper elevation but also present it at the'particular angle desired. This last point is also one of great importance in practice, in that the head of the body of the corpse is thus enabled to be presented at the most natural angle adapted to render identification more probable where the body is placed on a morgue table for that purpose.

In contrast to previous constructions, the improved device is adapted to be freely shifted from one point to another on the surface of the tablejor board, and notattached to any portion of the latter. This enables the body to be placed centrally upon the table and the head rest then is positioned according to the position of the head, regardless of this coming at the end ofthe table, after which the head rest may be shifted laterally in either direction as required. Thereup'on the adjustmentas to height or elevation is accomplished in amoment by sliding the cross member 20 forward as far as necessary, the head rest element 1 6 in'the meantime automatically accommodating itself to the head as this is elevated. The device is thus conveniently operated and when not in use may be folded into compact form as indicated in Figure 3. In case a cushioning member as illustrated in Figure 6 is used, the attachment of the same to the head rest element 16 is asimple matter, and this cushioning member may be removed quickly as often as necessary for cleaning purposes.

lVhile I have illustrated and described what I now regard as the preferred form of construction for embodying the improved device, I desire to reserve the right to make all such changes and modifications that may fairly fall within the scope ofthe appended claims.

'VVhat I claim is:

1. A head rest for tables or cooling boards, comprising a base frame adapted to be shifted freely over the surface of the table or board, rigid supporting arms pivoted to said base frame, rigid bracing means connected to said arms and engaging the base frame for maintaining said arms at various angles with relation to said frame, and a U-shaped head rest element having the middle portion of each of its sides pivotally mounted on the upper ends of said supporting arms.

2. A head rest for tables or cooling boards, comprising a base frame adapted to be shifted freely over the surface of the table or board, a pair of rigid supporting arms pivoted to said frame about a common axis and adapted to be folded within said frame, rigid brace elements connected to said arms and adapted to engage the base frame to maintain said arms at various angles with relation to said frame, and a head rest element comprising a head-engaging member shaped to conform to the back of the head and pivotally mounted on the upper ends of said supporting arms.

3. A head rest for tables or cooling boards, comprising a base frame adapted to be shifted freely over the surface of the table or board and formed with parallel rack teeth at Opposite sides of the frame, a pair of rigid supporting arms pivoted to said frame about a common axis, rigid brace arms pivoted to said first arms and provided with means for selectively engaging said rack teeth and thereby supporting said first arms at various angles with relation to the base frame, and a head rest comprising a lieadcngaging member shaped to conform to the back of the head and pivotally mounted on the upper ends of said supporting arms.

In witness whereof I hereunto afiix my signature.

JOHN C. RUMSEY. 

